Ashland Dickey January Happenings

January 22, 1847

Isaac Dillon Parker was born on a farm near Loudonville, Ohio on January 22, 1847. He was influenced by his maternal Grand mother Priest, who was a devoted member of the Church of the Brethren. Worship services were held throughout the neighborhood and it was in one of those that Isaac accepted the Lord. He entered into the fellowship of the Brethren Church at the age of sixteen. He was a close and careful Bible student early in life. He had a burning desire for an education and after attending public school until the age of seventeen, he began teaching school and studying for the ministry. He was called to the office of deacon and a short time later to the ministry. Later he was called to the eldership. Much of his early work was done while ministering to the Dickey Church. He was especially interested in Christian education and worked tirelessly toward the enlargement of publishing Brethren materials. His goal was to have a church paper in every home of the Brotherhood. Because of his advanced ideas on some of the more important phases of church work, he was sometimes severely criticized. He was among the foremost to push the Sunday School movement and was the first superintendent, along with David Workman, of the Dickey Sunday School. He worked out the lessons to be studied and was chairman of the first Sunday School convention. He engaged in extensive evangelistic work through out the district. He sought to save erring souls rather than destroy them. He had a great and tender care for the weak and erring. Isaac was also a successful farmer and in 1881 the newspaper referred to him as one of the three “wheat kings” because he raised 2,250 bushels of wheat. In 1884, he quit pumping water by hand and erected a wind pump. The last several years of his life he pastored at the Goshen, Indiana Church. His death occurred on May 21, 1910.

A History of the Church of the Brethren-Northeastern Ohio by T.S. Moherman, et.al.

January 2, 1894

Austin Moherman was born in 1817 and moved to Ashland County in 1841. He came with a team, wagon and all his possessions in two trunks. In 1846 he married Hetta Wagner and they had thirteen children. His funeral was at the Dickey Church of which he had been for a long time a highly respected and worthy member.

Ashland Times - January 4, 1894

January 7, 1910

Susannah Burkholder died 100 years ago on January 7, 1910. Her maiden name was Witwer and she was born in 1821 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She married William Burkholder in 1845 and they moved to Ashland County in 1854. She was a faithful member of the Dickey congregation from 1858 until her death. Her husband was a proprietor of the Burkholder Mills. She was never known to be faultfinding, nor to lose her temper. A tramp never went away from her door hungry. Rev. W.M. Desenberg, assisted by Rev. Snavely officiated at her funeral and the body was interred in the Dickey cemetery.

Ashland Press-January 12, 1910

January 2, 1925

Rev. Ora DeLauter, pastor of the Dickey church cooperated with the county wide evangelistic campaign. There were services at the church for two weeks beginning January 4th each evening except Saturday.

Ashland Times Gazette - January 2, 1925

January 8, 1970

Clarence J. Thomas was born in 1898 and passed away 40 years ago in January of 1970. He was a member of the Dickey Church where he was Sunday School treasurer for over 40 years and also a deacon. He was a member of the Christian Businessmen’s Club. He married Lela Baird and they had two daughters, Mary Detrow and Martha Coffman.

Ashland Times Gazette - January 8, 1970

The oldest tombstone appears to be that of Jacob Baum, who was seven years old and died December 15, 1841.

Ashland County Cemetery Book

In January of 1860 there were many deaths due to scarlet fever being reported.

Ashland Press